The $75,000 Mudgee Cup is among the premier events on the country racing calendar. The upcoming meet on Friday, December 1 is set to be one of the best.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Mudgee Race Club manager Belinda Holden said they are pulling out all the stops to make sure it's an unforgettable race day.
"We've sold out the big dance marquee and at the moment we're working on fixing the very wet floor in there. We sold out the luncheon and we've sold out the veranda," Ms Holden said.
As of Thursday morning there were less than 400 general admission tickets available and punters are reminded that tickets will not be available at the gate on the day and the general admission spots are becoming scarce.
The weather is looking to be a sunny and cool and Belinda said with a bit of wind, the track should be good to go - if a little soft. So maybe keep the stilettos at home.
Scone-based trainer Cameron Crockett will be - for the first time - running a horse in every race in Mudgee on Friday. The trainer who still calls Mudgee home is pinning his Mudgee Cup hopes on Rajnish, a four-year-old runner he bought earlier in the year with the Friday race in mind with no worries about the track conditions.
"He's pretty handy and it's a big jump in grade but this is sort of what we thought we'd do with him when we bought him so we're going to have a crack," Crockett said.
"[The track] doesn't worry him. He's won on firm and he's won on soft and he's run well on everything in between."
Rajnish will be ridden by Anna Roper, a handy jockey that knows the race well, according to Crockett.
"Anna's won a couple of these 1600 metre country cups already this year so she's got a good race brain, she knows the tempo of the races. She's won on this horse before... she's had about six rides for four wins on my horses before."
Read more:
"We're definitely praying for no rain," Ms Holden said.
"Since they're saying it's going to be fine for the next two days and there's a bit of wind it should dry out a little bit.
The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) is predicting a warm and cloudy day with temps maxing out at 26 degrees with a low chance of rain early in the day.
Bucking another race day trend, Mudgee Race Club is putting on a veritable smorgasbord of locally-catered foodie options including 2850 catering, Knackers Gourmet Barbecue, Drover's Choice Saltbush Lamb, Gassd Fired Pizzas, Beba Cakes and Workin' Beans coffee Van.
"It's always a good party day. There's going to be musicians - there's gonna be a roving six-piece band that was at Flavours of Mudgee, they're coming back," Ms Holden said.
And it wouldn't be a race day without fashion on the field, with this year's competition expected to be formidable. Dress to impress and you could win prizes from the race day sponsors.
Fashions on the field categories are:
- Best Dressed Gentleman
- Best Contemporary Lady
- Best Dressed Couple
- Best Millinery
- Best Dressed Lady
Gates open at 12 noon on Friday.